The Tiger's Revenge
by Psychotic Nightmare
Summary: Revenge is all he thirsts for. Sequel to The Tigress of Fairy Tail.
1. War

**A/N: My mom decided it would be fun to delete all the files on my computer, so all my fics were lost T_T. This one's a bit late because I had to retype it entirely from memory, after I got home from the mountains. **

**Anywho, here is the sequel to _The Tigress of Fairy Tail._ It might not make much sense if you haven't read that one yet, but then again, I have mental issues so it actually might make a fraction of sense. No guarantees, though.  
**

**THIS IS STRICTLY LUCYXNOVA, SO ALL YOU PRICKS OUT THERE THAT ONLY BELIEVE IN NALU, GO CRAWL IN A HOLE AND KEEP YOUR BASHING TO YOURSELF.  
**

**Disclaimer: I own naught Fairy Tail, only the idea and... words you find here.**

* * *

One year after the Dhiren incident, and all was well. But not for long.

It was a regular day at Fairy Tail- no, scratch that, it wasn't normal _at all. _Apparently, Natsu had scraps of catnip in his scarf (nobody knew why, and they were too afraid to ask), and Lucy had caught a whiff of it when he passed her. She had abruptly grabbed the end of the scarf, her eyes glazed over, and tore it from his neck. She began to rapidly salivate as the scent became stronger, and before long her instincts took over and she changed into her alternate form. From there, she proceeded to chew on the scarf, growling groggily at anyone that approached.

She didn't seem to mind Happy, however, so the small blue Exceed coaxed the other two Exceeds to help him pry the tigress' jaws open before the scarf was completely demolished. Their plans didn't go quite as planned, though. Happy was attempting to bribe her with fish, Charle was trying to talk some sense into her, and Pantherlily had resorted to brute force, changing to his battle form and using his bare hands to open her mouth, which had no success whatsoever. The only results he got were weird half-purr-half-growl noises that creeped everyone out.

Soon enough, the Exceeds gave up and let her do as she wanted. It was when she finally settled down (on a table, I might add) that the doors slowly swung open to reveal thirty or so four-legged figures that heaved for breath, all of them filthy looking. Quiet murmurs traveled through the guild as those who were present for the battle recognized the shape of tigers.

Lucy's head shot up and she jumped from the table, changing back as soon as her feet touched the ground. She immediately sprinted to the tiger, that promptly collapsed in a fit of coughs, who was leading the group. She knelt beside him, resting a hand on his furry neck as she waiting for him to catch his breath, her face creased in worry. When he finally stopped coughing, she asked, worry melting her tone, "Nova, what's wrong? Why is the entire clan here?"

Nova raised his bloodshot eyes to meet her concerned ones, despair visible in the dark blue depths. "There was a fire... Everything's gone..." he rasped, voice hoarse.

"Fire?" Lucy visibly paled, swallowing a lump in her throat, as she asked, "Dead count?"

"E... eleven. Nine were cubs too small to escape the flames." Nova adverted his eyes, afraid of her reaction.

"Eleven...?" she echoed. "The other two?"

Nova narrowed his eyes with grief as he continued on, "Elder Kronos died from smoke inhalation." He paused and took a deep breath before continuing in a whisper, "Ramnarine was killed by the creator of the fire."

"K-killed?" What little color remained in Lucy's face drained away, leaving her deathly white. She looked over the group just to make sure, and two familiar pelts were indeed missing. She slowly, unsteadily, got to her feet and took a shaky step back. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides, her body trembling. "I will kill whoever _dared _mess with my clan," she quietly growled. Without a shred of hesitation, she jumped over the tigers, shifting in midair and landing on the other side as a tiger. She immediately sprinted off into the forest, kicking up dirt as her paws dug into the ground, muscles bunching and extending beneath her sleek golden fur.

Erza, Gray, Natsu and Happy made to after her but were temporarily stopped by Nova's hoarse call, "Don't follow her. I understand she thinks of you as her family, but she won't let youon the mountains; not in the condition they're in."

"Yeah, whatever," Gray snorted, paying no attention to his words as he raced off after Lucy, the other team members on his heels. Lucy was their friend, they weren't going to let her face this herself.

"I tried to warn them," Nova muttered, bursting into another fit of coughs.

"Well, since you're here, I might as well heal you," Wendy spoke up timidly, approaching the red tiger.

"No, heal Ririn and the others first." Nova shook his head, pointing his tail at the petite pink tiger that was trembling violently, her wide eyes staring at nothing. She had witnessed the death of her sisters cubs, and was traumatized by the result. Wendy responded with a nod and moved to the tigress, murmuring soothing words to her as she did was she was trained to. When she was finished, she swept her eyes across the tigers, recognizing some faces. Kishan and Jade were huddled at the edge, Jade's body racked by shudders as she buried her face in Kishan's fur, while the black tiger tried to comfort her. Zecora and Zelith were attempting to groom the soot and ash off each other. Damon was delicately cleaning his paws.

"Mira-san, I'll need some help!" the young blunette called out. The pretty barmaid nodded from behind the counter.

"Now, what are we going to do with a horde of tigers in the middle of the guild?" Makarov spoke up from the second floor.

"Well, we can't just _not _help them," Levy retorted.

"Hmm, I guess you're right," Makarov mused, disappearing back into his office.

* * *

Team Natsu followed the deep tracks made by Lucy's heavy paws. She had sprinted fast and long for hours, it seemed. When they finally reached Lucy's old property, they were frozen in their tracks at the sight that greeted them. The mountains that surrounded the huge house had been reduced to an ashen landscape, destroyed by the fire. Small, dying fires littered the mountains. At the base of the mountain, there was a fine line separating the burnt area from the green area. This simple detail told them a lot; the fire was magic, someone had lit it on purpose, and someone had intended for the animals to die.

Their examination of the mountains was interrupted by a heartbreaking, mournful yowl. They looked for the source of the noise and found a flash of gold at the base of six giant boulders, next to river that might have been fast-flowing at one point, but was now sluggish and choked by ash and debris.

"Lucy!" Natsu exclaimed, raising one foot to climb the mountain.

He was interrupted by Lucy's enraged growl as she whipped her head around, "Don't you _dare _step one foot on this land!" With that, she pushed aside one of the boulders in front of her to reveal a hidden cave, which she disappeared into. She traveled down a short tunnel into a small cavern that a small, underground spring in the middle. The walls were covered by a grayish moss that reflected the light, making it easy to see. She immediately went to the back of the cave and pushed aside a small covering of wet lichen from a shelf. What she saw beneath the cover made a burning pit of hatred rise up in her chest.

There is was, a cobalt blue tiger paw print with a brown tiger eye overlapping it. _Their symbol from childhood. _

She raced out of the cave, not bothering to put the rock back as she jumped to the top of the rocks. From there, she let loose a blood-chilling war cry that echoed for miles.

In the guild of Fairy Tail, all the tigers perked their eyes and turned their heads in the direction of the cry.

Far off, a man with scars all over his body smirked as the faintest echoes of the cry reached his ears. "You fell right into my trap, Lucy-_sama._"


	2. Traitor's Sentence

**A/N: Okay everyone, an announcement. School just started so my updates may be a bit late, due to my difficult classes (I'm 'gifted' in more ways than one; insanity _plus _a different thinking style, making me figure things out faster and thus getting better grades).  
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**Hence the week-late update.  
**

**Disclaimer: I own naught Fairy Tail, only the idea and... words you find here.  
**

* * *

Nothing could be compared to the tigress's anger at that moment. Later on, stories would be told of the fearsome beast who's hatred rolled off her in waves; smothering those around her in a suffocating, black aura.

Lucy wasn't pleased, not at _all. _Would you be, after the one you had grown up with, claimed you, and then been exiled from the clan came to your home and burnt it down, along with lives that were the future of the near-extinct tigers? No.

_This is the last straw. I will not stand by and allow this to continue. He will _die. _As the Goddess of this clan, I will hunt him down and execute him myself. In front of a crowd, to gain the worst humiliation know to living beings, _Lucy growled mentally.

The golden tigress took one leap from the boulders and landed halfway down the mountain. She loped the rest of the way, her easy strides turned stiff with anger. When she reached the base of the mountain, her teammates could see that her gleaming, sharp claws were unsheathed and digging into the charred soil.

Without pausing to acknowledge the four, the heiress raised her right paw and brought her claws down on her left leg. The blood that immediately welled up at the wound splattered on the ground, sinking into the dirt and turning it a sickening dark-red-almost-black color.

As soon as her jagged wounds were swallowed by the golden light and healed, the same golden glow rose from the bloodstain and traveled around the mountains, forming a golden wall that soon dissipated.

Stiffly, Lucy turned and stalked back the direction in which the came, only turning back once to let out a deep, anger filled growl, "Come." Although surprised, her team followed without hesitation.

* * *

The entire journey home, the tigress spoke not one word. No matter how much she was cajoled, coaxed, teased or asked, she stayed silent. The explanation of her actions were only going to be told once, and the clan was who deserved to know the most.

Though concerned for their half-bred friend, Team Natsu could do nothing but watch the stiff movement the tigress made. Her body language was quite easy to read. The fur along her back stood stiff, her tail lashed from side to side, her head was below her shoulders, ears pressed back, as her lips were pulled back in a snarl.

She walked through the guild doors like that, her menacing aura attracting plenty of stares. The tigers, who had been completely healed by Wendy, had expected her anger but were no less surprised.

Nova alone moved forward, asking as he went, "Why the declaration of war?" Despite his rejection, the feelings he held for the golden tigress had not abated. In fact, they grew. He would throw his life on the line for Lucy, as long as she stayed safe. This was no different.

Without answering, Lucy stalked forward until she was standing in front of the bar, where everyone could see her. "Why the declaration of war, you ask? Simple. _He _came back. He killed Ramnarine, and started the fire in order to kill everyone. _He killed his own brother's cubs, for God's sake!_" Her voice turned sharp with anger.

Kishan raised shocked eyes to the Goddess, as did Jade. "_He _did it?! My brother killed my children?!" he growled in surprise. His fur began to stand on end, teeth bared.

Ririn stood and wailed, "Nii-san's evil!" Levy wrapped her arms around the young's tigress's neck, whom she had taken a liking to. The pink-furred tiger quieted and moved closer to 'Fairy Tail's Resident Bookworm'.

"He learned magic then?" Nova inquired, taking the whole situation as a matter of business.

"Apparently so. From now on, if anyone is to see him, he will be captured immediately and brought to me. He will not be given another chance," Lucy growled.

The tigers respectfully bowed their heads, knowing full well the meaning behind her words.

Once found, Dhiren Karys will be put to death.

* * *

The scarred man walked back to the place he hung out at. It wasn't just another bar, no, it was a guild. He casually strolled over to where his friends sat, sitting beside them and getting the strongest alcohol the building could provide.

"You did want you wanted?" one of his friends asked. He was young looking, with spiky blond hair and a scar on the right side of his face, as well as an earring in his left ear.

"Yeah," the man replied gruffly, unable to hide his smirk.

"What's with the smirk?" his other friend asked. He looked about the same age as the first friend, but her had black hair and a monotonous expression.

"Heh. There's no need to know."

"Who gives a shit, anyway? With you, Dhiren, we'll win the Grand Magic games for sure!" the blonde exclaimed.

* * *

**A/N: GUESS WHO~ **


	3. Strength and Weakness

**As you can see by my horribly long absence, school is rather harder then I first expected. And to top things off, I must learn two songs that are in two different languages in the next week for a chorus concert. **

**I sincerely apologize for not updating before now.  
**

**And just so everything is clear, when this is chapter is finished and the Next Broken Dragons chapter is finished, I will be releasing a new story! There will be minimal romance, but I guarantee you it will be captivating!  
**

**Disclaimer: I own naught Fairy Tail, only the idea and... um... disclaimers are a bit repetitive, no?  
**

* * *

Over the next few days, tigers were not an uncommon sight at Fairy Tail. Whether it was drinking, playing around, or guarding, there would always be at least one of the furred beasts present. They refrained from freely wandering Magnolia though, as to avoid rousing suspicion or worse, fear.

Tension could be felt in the air. Every time the double doors to the guild swung open, man and beast alike froze and watched with morbid attention at the newcomer. They didn't relax until the person was confirmed as a friend.

The most severe changes were found in Lucy. She became aggressive where she usually wasn't, and never went on jobs to pay her rent. Instead, she spent the time pacing in the guild, Nova keeping diligent eyes on her in case she did something rash.

Since Lucy's return from the Clan territory, Nova had been sticking close to her, as a newborn cub would. If it grew late into the night and she was still out and about, the king would quietly retrieve her and walk her home. She never protested.

The pair would often talk about strategies for catching the murderer that was once their friend, but they never breached more personal subjects. As the days wore on, they came to a silent agreement: Dhiren is priority number one. Personal matters are of no importance until he is captured and brought to justice.

They never spoke of 'justice' being execution.

They never dwelled on the matter of their target being an old friend, for the fear of revoking the execution order due to false sympathies.

They never even spoke his name aloud.

He was always referred to as 'Traitor' or 'Target'. Never as 'Dhiren Karys'.

All the while, the feelings for Lucy Nova had forced down were slowly beginning to break through, a fact that was made evident by the longing glances and gentle touches he sent her way.

The tigress paid no mind to the attention, for she knew his feelings, even if she didn't know the the extent of them.

As such, she knew nothing of the fact his feelings ran deeper than an underground river, and could not be simply eradicated with a single thought, like Nova wished.

He knew these feelings would give him strength, but they would also be his greatest weakness; a gratifying weakness that would force him to put everything on the line for the love of his life.

For this reason, he intended to keep his love a secret, for if word got out and went to the wrong ears, Lucy would be targeted and Nova would have no choice but to act upon it.

As Nova walked Lucy home that day, one thought continuously passed through his head.

_Dhiren Karys, you will regret the day you ever decided to mess with Lucy. _

* * *

**Thanks for reading and not giving up on this story, despite my horrible updating status!**

**And it turns out I've lost my muse for this. I have to persevere, though, I'm pretty good at that. If I didn't, I would fail horribly at writing a three page essay for an exam in forty-five minutes!  
**


	4. Sorry, guys!

**Okaaaaay, so as I said in the previous chapter, I've lost my muse for this. Which means chapters might be slow in the coming for a bit, until I can suddenly have a burst of ideas. **

**In the mean time, I have a few other stories you might like. Just take a look at my profile, and who knows! Maybe you'll find something you like. Well, that's all for now!**

**Sorry for the delay, guys.  
**

**Bye!  
**


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